Station Burlington
Unit History
Coast Guard Station Burlington was established in 1948 as a four-man light attendant station. The only assigned mission at that time was aids to navigation maintenance. The station maintained 40 short-range aids to navigation and 103 floating aids to navigation. The aid to navigation (ATON) mission is still a vital part of Station Burlington’s overall responsibilities, however numerous other mission areas have been assigned.
Over the years commercial traffic on Lake Champlain has diminished, but recreational boating has increased dramatically. Search and Rescue (SAR) cases became more frequent, creating the need for a Coast Guard presence to protect against loss of life and property on the lake. Along with SAR, the Enforcement of Laws and Treaties (ELT) became necessary, as did enforcement of recreational boating safety.
The station has 4 primary boats; 2 for SAR and ELT, and 2 for ATON. The station responds to a wide variety of requests for assistance and in the past few years SAR cases have numbered between 200 to 300 per year.
Station Burlington Today
The new station building was commissioned in August of 1993 offering the opportunity for female enlisted personnel to be assigned. The new building is comprised of 3 floors. The first floor is dedicated to unit maintenance and is where you will find the ET Shop, Bos’n Locker, MK shop, ATON shop, and male and female locker rooms. The second floor holds the Galley, Mess-deck, Gym, Lounge, Communications Center, office spaces, Officer in Charge (OINC), and Executive Petty Officer (XPO) offices. The third floor contains the berthing facilities for duty, temporary, and permanent party personnel.
Last Modified 3/5/2009